Europe is thriving with art enthusiasts as major photography festival PHotoEspaña and the hugely influential Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition have just taken over Spain and Venice.
14th PHotoEspaña
June 1 – July 24
Various locations
Madrid, Spain
PHotoEspaña is Europe’s answer to Canada’s CONTACT photography festival. This major international annual photography and visual arts festival attracted more than 700,000 visitors in 2010 and has become the most popular cultural event in Spain. The 14th edition of PHotoEspaña will be curated by Havana-based independent critic, curator and art historian Gerardo Mosquera.
http://www.phe.es/festival/
54th Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition
June 4 – November 27
Various locations
Venice, Italy
The 54th International Art Exhibition will once again take place in Venice under the guise of the Venice Biennale. Since it was founded in 1895, the Venice Biennale has been synonymous with avant-garde and new artistic trends. For over 100 years it has promoted contemporary art through its organization of international events and has become one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. The International Art Exhibition is second only to Documenta — an exhibition that takes place once every five years. A record 375,700 people visited the Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition in 2009.
http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/index.html
11th OFFF International Festival for the Post Digital Creation Culture
June 9-11
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
After celebrating its 10th anniversary in Paris, the already sold-out OFFF festival is heading back to its home down of Barcelona to indulge participants in a multidisciplinary spectacle of visual culture. The festival’s eventful three-day calendar includes more than 70 conferences, an artists market fair, a digital animation program, performances, talks, social networking chill-out areas and workshops for artists.
http://www.offf.ws/
Picasso from Musee National Picasso
June 11-September 25
DeYoung Museum
San Francisco, California
The de Young hosts an exhibition of more than 100 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints drawn from every phase of the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso’s career. The rare exhibit is possible due to the temporary closure of the Musée Picasso in Paris until 2012 for renovations. It covers the artist’s range of style including La Celestine (1904) from the Blue Period, Two Brothers (1906) from the Rose Period, the expressionist Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), Cubist Man with a Guitar (1911), neoclassical Portrait of Olga (1917), six Surrealist bronze heads of the artist’s mistress, Marie-Therese Walter, (1950), and the late self-portrait, The Matador (1970). The exhibition will travel to the Art Gallery of NSW in Australia from November 12 to February 19, 2012.
http://deyoung.famsf.org/
42nd Art Basel
June 15-19
Messe Basel, Messeplatz
Basel, Switzerland
Art Basel is heralded as the world’s premier international art show for modern and contemporary art. Works from more than 2,500 artists — from the great masters of modern art to fresh-faced contemporaries creating the trends of tomorrow — will be shown at the 42st edition of Art Basel in 2011. 62,500 people attended Art 41 Basel. The American leg of the art fair, Art Basel Miami Beach is also one of the most keenly attended events on the international art calendar.
http://www.artbasel.com
18th Sónar Festival
June 16-19
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
An annual event since 1994, the Sónar International Festival attracts nearly 80,000 participants for three days and nights of music and art events, with a special focus on electronic music and multimedia art. “By Day” events — concerts, art shows, fairs, and demos — take place at Barcelona’s Center of Contemporary Culture and Museum of Contemporary Art. “By Night,” the festivities move to the large Gran Vía M2 venue. Set to perform this year are Underworld, Salem, A-Trak, Atmosphere, Hype Williams, and more. Tickets are €155.
http://2010.sonar.es/en
The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier
June 17 – October 2
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal, Canada
The first ever retrospective dedicated to the designs of world-renowned French couturier Jean Paul Gaultier will be unveiled at The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Fashion World of Jean-Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk traverses the designer’s 35 years in the fashion industry. The exhibition includes more than 100 pieces of unique fashion extending from his 1976 ready-to-wear collection to dresses from his haute couture firm in 1997. Original sketches and photographs by the designer — including the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, and Robert Doisneau — help to explain why the “enfant terrible” has become one of the most important fashion designers in recent decades. The show travels to the Dallas Museum of Art in the US in November.
http://www.mmfa.qc.ca
11th Melbourne International Animation Festival
June 19-26
ACMI Cinemas
Melbourne, Australia
The eleventh edition of the Melbourne International Animation Festival (MIAF11) is an eight-day festival showcasing some of the greatest animations created by artists around the world. MIAF is one of the largest animation festivals in the world. More than 400 films from over 30 countries will grace screens at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image during the festival. Entries in the MIAF are automatically considered for the UTS Sydney International Animation Festival, the London International Animation Festival, and Australia’s smaller, regional touring festival, the Australian International Animation Festival.
http://www.miaf.net/